


New Year

by elfesteem



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bang Chan & Changbin are Best Friends, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Crying, Felix is a ghost so.. you know the drill, Fluff and Angst, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Sorry, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, i'll update the tags once i post the next chapter !
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 06:19:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17278670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elfesteem/pseuds/elfesteem
Summary: alive and dead,cheering together for one more year, one less year.orchangbin goes back home after the death of his boyfriend two years ago, but something isn't quite right.





	New Year

**Author's Note:**

> first of all.. happy new year !!  
> I got the inspiration to this story while listening to the song [Año Nuevo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBbv462T9vw) by Vetusta Morla which i recommend listening to while reading the chapter
> 
> as always, English isn't my first language, it's also 3am and this isn't proof read so I'm sorry for any mistakes
> 
> (you'll understand the title when the fic is finished so stay tuned !)

Changbin stood in front of the wooden door, breathing deep and heavily while he clutched the key in his hand, the edges digging into his palm but he couldn’t bring himself to care about the pain. It had been nearly two years since the reason he left the apartment and that was the reason he had decided to come back; the _anniversary_.

Felix’s death anniversary.

Since that occurring, he had been living with Chan and Jeongin, the couple accepting him with open arms. After the funeral he hadn’t been able to bring himself to go back to the place where he had lived for 5 years with his boyfriend of 8.

 

Taking a few breaths, he unlocked the door and let himself in. Everything seemed the same except it wasn’t, all of Felix’s things were gone but Changbin had wanted it that way. He had previously called his mom to ask her if she could take out Felix’s stuff and she had assured him that she would do it. Apparently, she had also cleaned the house, so Changbin told himself to call her later and thank her.

He left the keys on the little table by the entrance and softly closed the door. His first destination was the bedroom, mainly because he needed to unpack and partly because he knew that that would be the hardest room to go to, so he made it the first to be done and over with it. As he entered, he tried to avoid looking to the right side of the king sized bed and the nightstand at the side and focused on opening the suitcase and starting to organize his clothes. Once that was done he just stared blankly at the room while a whirl of emotions and memories came back rushing. He inhaled sharply and left the room.

He went then to the balcony, opening the glass door and sitting on one the two chairs that were there along with a wooden table a lots of little plants that he didn’t even know how were still alive. Felix was always the one to take care of them.

He had always loved this part of the house and could calmly say that it was his favourite place, it was cool in summer and warm in winter; and on Friday nights, him and Felix sat there and drank beer, talking about everything that had happened to them during the week. If it was chilly enough the two of them would share a blanket and just enjoy basking on the other’s warmth.

Changbin just sat there watching the sunset, soft tears running down his cheeks while the evening sun shone on him with its warm light. That night he slept on the couch, and failed to notice the fact that the balcony’s door had been open when it needed a key.

 

-

 

The first week passed without much occurrences. He had been sleeping on the couch and only went to his bedroom to get the clothes he needed for the day, that was until one day, at the studio he worked at with two of his best friends, he complained of his back hurting and Chan and Jisung just looked at each other and put two and two together. That night they went to his flat and, after having dinner, they talked with him. The three ended up curled up under tons of blankets in Changbin’s bed.

And that was his everyday routine; wake up, go to work, come back home and repeat. It went like that for 2 months until he started to notice some strange(r) things. The plants on the balcony were still green and very much alive despite him not watering them because as much as he wanted to take care of them he always forgot; he had firstly blamed the rain, as it had been a rainy year, but then he realized that he hadn’t lived there for two years and he was _pretty sure_ that plants didn’t last that long without water.

Then came his bed; after Chan and Jisung’s visit he had started to sleep there more often, there were still times that he wouldn't, but he was getting there. Now, Changbin is a messy person who never makes his bed unless it's completely necessary so, when he came home one night and fount it neatly done, he blamed it on the exhaustion and tiredness and convinced himself that he had made it before leaving. But when it kept happening during the week he stated to be a little freaked out.

The cherry on top came when one night he fell asleep while he was working on a new track at his desk; it had happened before, sure, but what _definitely_ hadn’t happened before was him waking up at 5 A.M. still with his head on the wooden table and a blanket covering him, his laptop closed, track saved and papers organized.

And he panicked.

Because that's what Felix would always do for him whenever he fell asleep working, knowing that if he woke him up, Changbin wouldn’t be able to sleep again.

That’s why without even locking the door behind him he bolted through the door and went to his best friend’s house.

 

-

 

He arrived at Chan’s completely out of breath and trembling, it was mid-November and he was only wearing some sweatpants and a hoodie, he didn't even put on his shoes when he got outside so he was also barefoot. It also didn’t help that he hadn’t eaten anything since the previous night but he _needed_ to get out of that house as soon as possible.

Changbin knocked and waited, after 5 minutes of absolute silence and Changbin not daring to knock again (it was so goddamn early and he could barely function), the door opened and revealed a tired and sleepy looking Chan, who looked significantly awake after seeing the state his best friend was.

“Bin?” he asked, his eyes widening.

Changbin lifted his head and at the sight of his friend, tears threatened to fall.

“I- I’m-” was all he could choke out before harsh sobs started to wreck through his body.

Chan immediately rushed to his side and, after seeing he was barefoot he picked Changbin up and carried him into the warmth of his house. He noticed then that the boy was freezing cold, so he directly brought him into the bathroom and settled him on the closed lid of the toilet. He crouched down and made Changbin look at him. His heart broke at the sight of his friend so distressed, it had been so long since he had last seen him like this and he wanted to cry because Changbin didn’t deserve everything he went -and was still going- trough. He forced the lump on his throat down and spoke.

“Binnie? I’m going to run a bath for you, okay? You need to warm up.”

Changbin just kept on crying and Chan asked again.

“Love, I need you to say something.” He said while brushing away the endless tears that ran down his best friend’s cheeks.

Changbin nodded and muttered a  quiet ‘okay’, but when Chan pulled away to turn on the hot water and get the bath started, Changbin grasped his t-shirt.

“Stay, please.”

Chan smiled softly at him, “I’m gonna get the bath ready and I’ll be right back with you. I’m not going anywhere”

Changbin released then his grip and watched absentmindedly as Chan checked the temperature of the water so that Changbin’s cold body wouldn't suffer too much. After the bathtub was almost filled to the brim, he added some bath salts that he had in hopes is calming and relaxing the dark haired boy that was currently dozing off. Chan approached is friend and shaked him gently.

“Bin, we need to get you out of these clothes.”

The boy just stood up but stayed limp so Chan sighed, already used to it, and proceeded to undress him. He had done this countless times in the two years Changbin had lived with Jeongin and him, as it was his body’s coping mechanism after suffering from a panic or anxiety attack.

After slowly but surely getting Changbin into the warm water, Chan got rid of his own clothes and got into the bathtub too. As soon as Changbin noted that Chan was with him he leaned back and rested his head against his friend’s shoulder and closed his eyes, small hiccups still shaking lightly his exhausted body, but he was significantly calmer than earlier.

Chan bathed him, wrapped him up in a soft towel until he was completely dry, dressed him up in warm and comfy clothes and brought him to his bed, where the tired boy fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. Chan covered him with the duvet and got the soaked clothes into the dryer. After making a few phone calls he got into bed with his friend and, when said boy immediately cuddled closer to him, he couldn't  help but let a few teas fall as he brought Changbin closer to him.

 

-

 

Changbin woke up with a pounding headache and feeling completely drained. The moment he opened his eyes he recognized his best friend’s room, who was lying besides him with an arm draped over his torso and fast asleep. Changbing was confused for a few seconds before he started to remember all the events that had happened a few hours prior. He sighed and closed his eyes again, cuddling closer to Chan in hopes of falling asleep again even though he knew that wouldn’t happen.

That’s why, half an hour later, he was in the living room with a thick blanket over his shoulders, a steaming cup of black coffee warming up his hands and an ibuprofen on the table for the headache that he was sure would last the rest of the day.

Chan appeared then from the hallaway and sat next to Changbin yawning loudly. After a few minutes of absolute silence Changbin spoke.

“Where’s Innie?”

Jeongin is the boy who lived with Chan and also his boyfriend. They had met in college while taking vocal lessons and, after two years of pining, they had finally started to date. They had been together for 5 years now and were still going as strong as ever and were, in Changbin’s opinion, one the cutest and healthiest couples he had ever seen.

Jeongin was a really sweet and smart boy who had studied psychoanalysis and had some ‘psychic powers’ (as he liked to call them) himself. What he has basically told to Changbin and their friend group is that he could sense if there was a being from the other world in a specific place. And that’s why Changbin wanted to talk to him.

“He’s in Busan visiting his family, he should be back by tomorrow morning.” Answered Chan.

“And you didn’t go with him?” Inquired Changbin furrowing his eyebrows and glancing over at his friend.

Chan shook his head, “Nope, I had some work I had to finish here so he went alone.”

Changbin hummed and rested his head against the back of the couch before taking a sip of his coffee.

“Can I stay here until tomorrow so I can talk with Jeongin?” He asked once he  finished his drink.

“Why would you- Ah, is this about what happened earlier?”

Changbin nodded, “I need to talk with him.”

Chan just looked at him, knowing that there was more to it.

“I also can’t go back home, I just can’t.”

Chan sighed, “You know I’m here in case you want to talk about it.”

“I know just- something happened yesterday and brought back memories and I just- it was too much.” Said Changbin cuddling closer to Chan. “I promise I’ll tell you everything when I talk with Jeongin.”

 

-

 

Jeongin arrived the next day at 6 A.M., earlier than expected, and as soon as he entered the living room the first sight he saw were his boyfriend and his best friend asleep on the couch. Jeongin guessed something had happened for Changbin to be at their home so he quietly went to his and Chan’s bedroom to leave his suitcase and went back as quietly to wake up his boyfriend without waking Changbin up, whose eye bags seemed more prominent than ever. Jeongin crouched next to the sleeping boys and began his mission of trying to wake up his boyfriend.

“Chan.” He whispered shaking the older boy’s shoulder. Chan just whined in his sleep but made no sign of waking up.

“Channie.” Jeongin tried again but with no avail.

“Hyung!” He whispered-shouted shaking the boy with more force and, finally, Chan woke up with a startle. When he saw that it was his boyfriend he laid back again and wheezed. “Fuck, Innie. Was that necessary?”

“Seeing that you didn’t wake up with the two previous tries yes, it was. Now get up, has something happened to Changbin hyung?”

At the mention of the other boy’s name, Chan seemed significantly awake and carefully slipped from under Changbin’s body and covered him again with the blanket. He then grabbed Jeongin’s wrist and led them both to their bedroom. They settled on the bed and after softly kissing Jeongin, Chan started to tell him everything that had happened in the last few hours. When he finished the younger boy had a few tears in his eyes which he wiped furiously.

“So, he wants to talk with me? Why?” He asked.

“I already told you, love, I don’t know. Hell, I don’t _even_ know why he came here and in the state that he did and I just- I feel so helpless and-” Chan’s voice cracked and Jeonging hugged him, bringing him closer and shushed him.

“You did what you could, hyung, and that’s perfectly okay. Now let’s just wait until he wakes up.” Jeongin kissed his boyfriend’s temple and carded his fingers through his messy hair as Chan sobbed in his shoulder, letting out all his worries and frustrations.

 

-

 

“I’m pretty sure there’s a ghost or a spirit or something as fucked up as that in my house.”

When they managed to _finally_ make Changbin speak, they did not expect those to be his firsts words about what had happened.

Jeongin was the first one to react, “Elaborate? Please?”

Changbin ran his hand through his hair and began to explain, “It all started with those plants that Felix liked to take care of, you know the ones on the balcony?” The couple nodded and Changbin carried on, “so, when I came back they were still green and alive and I thought that it would have been the rain so didn’t really pay any attention to them until a few weeks ago, when I noticed that they were _still_ green and I haven’t been watering them. I also did some research on the Internet and found out that house plants don’t last too long without water so there’s also that. Things started to get weird when I arrived from the studio one night and found that my bed had been made-”

“But you never made your bed.” Stated Chan.

“Exactly! I tried telling myself that I had made it before leaving although I myself didn’t believe it. But it kept happening and I started to get a little creeped out. What finally pulled the last straw was that a few nights ago I fell asleep while working and, when I woke up my computer was closed with all of my work saved and I had a blanket over my shoulders.. And that’s what Felix would always do for me whenever I fell asleep while working so yeah, there’s _something_ fucking with me at my house. So Innie, could you please come over and confirm that I’m not losing my fucking mind?”

Jeongin nodded, “I- Yeah, we can go right now, just let me grab my coat and we’ll be out.” Said the youngest of the three while going to his and Chan’s bedroom.

Chan spoke up then, “Did you notice anything the first day you moved back in? Apart of the plants, I mean.”

“I- I don’t think so? I mean, all of Felix’s stuff were gone thanks to my mom and also the apartment was clean so-” Changbin stopped talking and he immediately got of from the couch and, with a loud curse, grabbed Chan’s phone from the coffee table. He clicked on something and put the phone to his ear tapping anxiously on the floor with his foot and chewing on his lower lip.

Jeongin, alarmed by the shout, appeared at the doorway and looked with wide and questioning eyes at Chan, who simply shrugged.

Finally, the person at the other end of the phone pick up.

  


_‘Chan! Sweetie! What a pleasant surpris-’_

_‘Mom, I’m Changbin.’_

_‘Son? Why are you calling me with Chan’s phone? Is everything okay?’_

_‘Yes mom, everything's fine. Also long story, I’ll tell you ‘bout it later. Now, I have question; when you took out all of Felix’s stuff from the apartment, did you, by any chance, also clean it?’_

_‘No honey, I didn’t, it was already clean so I assumed that one of the boys had came and cleaned it. Wh-’_

_‘Okay, that’s all I needed to know. Thanks mom, I’ll call you later. Love you.’_

 

Changbin hung up without hearing his mother’s answer and turned to face the confused couple.

“When I arrived the first day the house was spotless, I just assumed that it had been my mom and made a mental note of thanking her for it but I completely forgot about it until now. She said that it was already clean when she went.”

The three of them looked at each other and hurriedly got out of the house and headed quickly to Changbin’s.

They were going to figure this out.

  


**Author's Note:**

> the next chapter will be up as soon as I can get my lazy ass to finish it so please just wait !  
> i also didn't find it necessary to put the Major Character Death tag given that Felix is already a ghost, but if you feel that it's necessary just tell me and i'll consider it!
> 
> feel free to leave kudos or comments if you want and any feedback is highly appreciated!!
> 
> see ya


End file.
